At Stephen Bilkis & Associates, PLLC, each New York Brain Injury Lawyer in the firm is aware that each year there are 1.7 million people in the United States who suffer from a traumatic brain injury.

New York Brain Injury Attorney

A traumatic brain injury happens when a person receives a blow or jolt to the head causing a disruption of the brain’s function. The head injury, usually caused by an accident or injuries, can vary in severity from mild – a brief change in mental status or consciousness- to severe - involving a period of unconsciousness or amnesia. Depending on the severity, the brain damage may be isolated or may involve more than one area.

Our New York Brain Injury Lawyer team confirms that statistics from the CDC show that of the 1.7 million Americans suffering from a brain injury, 52,000 individuals die; 275,000 people are hospitalized; and 1.365 million are treated and released from the emergency department.

Our experience with traumatic brain injury cases has shown that the most common causes involve falls (including slip and falls), auto accidents, being hit by an object and physical assault. These common causes of brain injury can be caused by the negligence, carelessness or recklessness of another person or entity. If you or a loved one is suffering from the traumatic effects caused by a brain injury, contact our experienced New York Brain Injury Lawyer team at Stephen Bilkis & Associates, PLLC, to discuss your legal options.

Causes of Brain Injury

• Falls – account for 35.2%
• Motor vehicle accidents – account for 17.3% but has the highest percentage of deaths at 31.8%
• Struck by/against – 16.5%
• Assaults – 10%

New York is no exception to these nationwide statistics. The leading cause of hospitalization due to brain injury and skull injury in New Yorkers include: falls, motor vehicle accidents, which comprise categories of motorcycle accident, car accidents, SUV accident, and truck accident and assault-related injuries. With emergency department visits, New Yorkers are more often to suffer from brain injuries from falls, being struck by or against an object, assault-related injuries and then motor vehicle traffic accidents.

There are several types of brain injury. A skull fracture, a break in one of the bones in the head, can occur due to a blow to the head or the result of a blunt force trauma, such as a being hit in the head with a baseball bat or smashing your head against the dashboard of your vehicle as a result of a car accident. A basal skull fracture is a fracture at the base of the skull and is a more rare form of skull fracture but can occur when an individual falls and lands on their back and hits their head. This type of fall or similar accident can cause an occipital fracture. This is also a fracture at the back of the head and is specific to the occipital bone.

An epidural hematoma is an accumulation of blood in the skull but outside the brain tissue. A subdural hematoma occurs when the blood accumulates on the brain. According to the research of our New York Brain Injury Lawyer Team, this form of brain injury can be the most deadly because blood can rapidly fill the brain, compressing brain tissue. Another more common type of brain injury is a referred to as cerebral edema, brain edema or brain swell. This injury occurs due to excessive fluid in the brain. A brain contusion or even a concussion is also a fairly common type of traumatic brain injury. This injury is a bruise of the brain tissue.

Each of these brain injuries may necessitate a craniotomy. This is a surgery in which part of the bone is removed from the skull to allow access to the brain. The craniotomy is performed by a neurosurgeon and can be performed under local or general anesthesia.

A concussion is the most frequent type of brain injury. Every New York Brain Injury Lawyer in the firm is aware that approximately 75 percent of brain injuries are in the form of a concussion. A concussion can also differ greatly in severity. Some concussion type injuries will require no continued medical care while other concussions can cause an extended period of unconsciousness – a coma.

Our team of New York Brain Injury Lawyers has found that an eye orbital fracture is often the result of trauma and the carelessness of another person. This injury involves a fracture to the bone surrounding the eye and can cause a blow-out fracture.

Some brain injuries may be the result of doctor error or medical provider negligence, if this situation may apply to you, contact our office to discuss the possibility of filing a medical malpractice claim against the offending health care provider.

Recovering from a head injury, traumatic brain injury or a brain injury may be difficult and timely and you should not be alone in the process. Contact an experienced New York Brain Injury Lawyer at our law firm to assistant you.

Signs of Brain Injury

A sign of a moderate brain injury could be the victim losing consciousness. However, a victim could suffer from brain damage without losing consciousness.

If the victim is conscious, a health care provider or emergency medical provider may try to determine if the victim is oriented, confused, using appropriate words, opening eyes spontaneously, reacting to speech and pain, and obeying commands, among other factors.

Other signs an individual should seek immediate medical assistance include:

• prolonged unconsciousness or inability to awaken
• any one-sided neurological deficit
• progressive or intermittent drowsiness after an alert period, fatigue or lethargy or changes in sleep behavior
• seizures or convulsive seizures
• inequality of pupil size or dilation of the pupils, double vision or blurred vision
• penetrating wounds of the head
• evidence of a depressed skull fracture
• mental confusion or increasing confusion, trouble with memory or concentration
• light-headedness or dizziness
• ringing in the ears
• slurred speech
• behavioral or mood changes including restlessness or agitation
• severe, continual or worsening headache
• frequent vomiting or nausea
• weakness or numbness in the extremities
• loss of balance or coordination

In more serious cases of brain injury, a person can suffer from permanent disability, speech or movement problems, delusions, mental handicaps, spinal injury, coma or even a wrongful death. With traumatic brain injuries affecting virtually every area – from mobility, communication and mobility – it is essentially that you have the services of a skilled and hardworking New York Brain Injury Lawyer from our office. Our lawyers have found that it could cost anywhere from $600,000 to more than $1.8 million to treat someone suffering from a brain injury.

Our Brain Injury Attorneys have a wide variety of experience in personal injury cases, including helping victims of all types of motor vehicle accidents, wrongful death cases, medical malpractice cases, slip and falls and construction accident cases, this experience will help us successfully fight to obtain an appropriate damage award to help compensate our clients for their injury. If you are someone you love is suffering from a brain injury, contact one of our New York Brain Injury Lawyer at Stephen Bilkis & Associates, PLLC. Please call us at 800.696.9529, online, or contact an office in Nassau County or Suffolk County in Long Island or one of our offices in New York City including Manhattan, Queens the Bronx or Brooklyn for a consultation, free of charge.